A good cinematic game. One of many that made the PSOne worth buying due to innovative gameplay elements.
User Rating: 8 | Fear Effect PS
I read about the game in a magazine and how it claimed to incorporate a mechanic, which measured the characters' fear or adrenaline levels. I realized when playing the game that the so-called 'fear' meter was merely a fancy life bar. I thought it interesting how negotiating a difficult fire-fight or puzzle would reward the gamer with a steady fear meter. At times when I thought I handled a stressful situation well, I was instead left with a heightened level of stress. This, of course, would lead to my demise due to a single shot or fatal slice upon my character. Many have shared their distaste for how they move their character in the game. I, however, have become very adept to playing this way after following the "Resident Evil" games. Despite the game having prerendered, yet lively, two dimensional backgrounds, I am able to negotiate the levels spatially. I've come to accept that in order to achieve a cinematic effect, this form of 'roaming' is necessary. Unlike 'Resident Evil,' I really do appreciate the escape and evade gameplay features. I cannot begin to describe how useful it is to turn 180 degrees away from danger. What did take a bit of time getting used to was cycling through items and weapons. I thought it was rather cumbersome. Dealing with the item/weapon cycle, I really liked being able to aim at multiple enemies at once. This was especially useful when facing a barrage of enenmies. When moving through the world of 'Fear Effect,' I would lose my footing because the backgrounds weren't 'drawn to scale.' There were several instances where I would die simply because I could not stay exactly on a platform. Aside from this, the graphics are quite beautiful! I really do enjoy my share of anime, and this early form of cel shading looked great on the PSOne. I wished the transition between the FMVs and the in-game graphics were seamless. The FMV sequences were good, but Hana looked a bit pixelated during gameplay. The sound and voice acting were just right, if not perfect. Inspite of a few poor gameplay mechanics, I believe the developers came very close to the cinematic adventure they intended to create. 
